A Fine Line
by DarkDefender89
Summary: You have Stockholm Syndrome, Case," Lizzie said. "No I don't," Casey said. "That would mean I don't really love him." DARK DASEY! chapter 2 is up! please review and tell me if you like where this is going!
1. Trailer

**A Fine Line**

_**Trailer**_

**Casey MacDonald was just a normal teenager who had two annoying stepsiblings. Her insides were a volcano, just waiting to erupt.**

"**I love you, Case," Lizzie said. "Why won't you tell me what happened? I know you too well; you didn't get that bruise falling on ice."**

"**I already told you, I'm fine."**

**That is, she**_** was**_** fine – she was just a normal perfectionist, practically a straight-A student. She was just your normal neat freak….your normal goodie-two shoes. Not that that was a bad thing. And then everything changed with one night, and it wasn't like she even asked for it. Casey hated change. Casey was in love with control.**

"**Casey and Derek, can I speak with the two of you after class?" the English teacher asked.**

**They even argued in class now. **

"**Take it as a compliment."**

"**In your dreams, Venturi."**

**She didn't tell anyone. Lizzie, being the super-snoop she and Edmond were, ended up finding out. The only thing was, Casey had not one, but two secrets. She ended up admitting the truth to Lizzie. After all, what are siblings for?**

"**You have Stockholm syndrome, Case," Lizzie said.**

"**No I don't," Casey said. "That would mean I don't really love him."**

**Can this love last? They fought before this, but if they broke up, all hell would break loose. Can they defy all instincts – all traditions? We all know that the heart has reasons that reason does not know of, but can Casey and Derek really, truly survive this and come out of it better people? More importantly, does Derek really love Casey, or does he only care about her body? Is their love more than life itself? Read to find out.**


	2. The Door Closed & The Window is Broken

A/N: This story takes place right after Casey and Max break up. Both Casey and Derek are 17; Edwin is 15 and Lizzie is 14; Marti is 8.

**Chapter 1**

Casey was sitting on the couch in the living room staring at the blank television screen, thinking about all of the ways she had screwed up with Max. She kept telling herself that everything happened for a reason, but that was a loser's motif. If you lose, there must be some holy reason – some divine plan – that you can hold responsible for your loss. And then something even better will come flying through your bedroom window. "I don't think so," Casey thought despondently.

"Dinner time!" Casey heard Nora call.

"I'm not hungry," Casey said, sighing and walking up to her bedroom. She had already finished her homework, but she had a test coming up in two weeks so she figured she might as well start studying. Absentmindedly, she stared out the diamond shaped window. She could practically feel the cold breeze from inside, watching as the colorful leaves blew off the trees and landed on the already frozen ground like giddy sea nymphs crazy with some form of beautiful, euphoric delusion. She shook her head. It must be so easy to be a leaf, to be able to free fall – to be able to just _not care_. Casey sighed and opened her text book and was struck with pages and pages of fine black print, but she didn't mind – she craved knowledge. It gave her peace. It helped her to forget all of her normal, ordinary boy trouble.

"I should consider myself lucky," she said out loud, not meaning to talk to anyone in particular, since she was alone in her room with the doors closed. "A lot of girls don't even get dates until they're 25."

The other side of Casey rationalized. "Yeah, but all of the guys you dated were pompous jerks who dumped you once they found out they couldn't convince you to have sex with them," Casey told the idiot in her that thought she was _lucky_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the annoying sound of someone knocking on her door. "Who is it?" Casey groaned.

"It's just me," Casey heard Lizzie say. "I brought you up a bagel and lemonade."

Casey got up from her desk and opened door. "Thanks, Liz," Casey said.

"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked.

"I broke up with Max. I found out that he was cheating on me with some whore named Amy," Casey said.

Lizzie hugged Casey, gently patting her on the back. "It'll be alright, Case," Lizzie said.

"I know, I know. I guess this is a good time to get back to being the person I used to be," Casey said.

"That sounds like a good idea," Lizzie said, smiling.

"I didn't really love Max, anyways. He was hot, but that was about it. Actually, now that I think of it, he was such a coward," Casey said.

"What about Sam?" Lizzie asked.

"Sam's too insecure. He's a great friend, but he's more like a brother to me than anything else," Casey said.

Lizzie nodded. "I'm sure there's someone out there who cares enough to break through your shell," Lizzie said.

"What shell?"Casey asked.

"The wall you built around yourself. Don't worry, sis, I built the same wall…it must be genetic," Lizzie said, and then the two sisters were standing under a dim light bulb laughing their hearts away, burning calories and watching unnecessary heat fade to ashes as, together, they turned a whole new leaf. No, Case made a resolution, she didn't need boys. She didn't need a relationship, and she didn't need love. Well…at least, she didn't need the _romance_ sort of love.

Casey took a sip of the ice-cold lemonade stared out the window again, focusing on the pale rising moon instead of the descending leaves. The night just now was setting in. If only she knew, that once this night took it's rightly place, there would _be_ no going back. But Casey didn't know any of this now. Lizzie was even less informed.

"I have to finish my homework," Casey told Lizzie.

"Okee-dokee. I'll leave you and your textbooks be," Lizzie said, and the two sisters shared another burst of the giggles.

So Casey sat at her desk, writing random definitions and staring at flashcards all while calculating the grade she needed to achieve in order to maintain an A average. If only that were the only thing she had to worry about.

**To Be Continued….**


	3. She has her rules, but he has his mask

_Warning__: dark dasey eventually :D_

**Chapter 2**

Casey was sitting on the couch reading a magazine when Derek rudely turned the television set on, interrupting her deep, philosophical thoughts. "DER-RECK!!" Casey screamed. "Haven't you watched enough TV, for God's sake?"

"There's no such thing as too much TV," Derek said, laughing. He didn't seem to care that Casey was reading – he didn't seem to care that Casey had feelings; he didn't seem to care that he was supposed to at least act _somewhat _civil. "I'm READING, you JERK!!" Casey shouted, aggravated. She stood up and marched up to the dark black box and pressed the off button. Derek marched right up to the television set, and, shoving Casey out of the way, turned the television back on.

"You're sexy when you're angry," Derek said.

"Ew, you pervert!" Casey screamed, resisting the urge to kick him. She knew how – this was her third year taking karate, and she was already a brown belt. She marched out of the living room. At least in her room, no one would disturb her reading.

Casey had her rules, and her rules consumed her. Sometimes she felt like she was a shell of a person, wasting her time on Earth, her time in Canada, her time in high school….but that was just her secret demons speaking. At least, that was what she told herself. Casey had her rules, and they made her feel safe. Most of the time, she wore conservative clothing. Getting good grades was vitally important, and sex was to be reserved for marriage, no matter what. The idea of sex actually grossed Casey out, so she really had nothing to worry about. She respected her parents. She didn't sneak out of the house at night. She didn't make friends with the "bad crowd." She always…well, almost always…did what she was told. When she was confused, she went to her school's guidance counselor and before long she was back on her feet. Casey MacDonald wasn't a drone. She wasn't boring. She was just a normal girl with ambitions and dreams and there was no way she was ever going to let anything stand in the way of that.

She stared out the window and reflected on the cloudy sky. "It's going to rain," she said to herself. Her laptop computer was hot on her lap, and she regretted that she hadn't stayed up later the other night to finish that essay that was due on Monday for her English class. It was only Saturday, but Casey wanted to get it out of the way. She was stumped. Her class was half-way through reading _Gone With The Wind_ and Casey, although normally a romantic at heart, didn't like it one bit. 'It's just because it was written in a completely different era.' That's it! She could write about how the time-period affects the plot. The plot doesn't necessarily change, but the _character_ of the plot does. The only problem was, Casey had already finished reading the book and she wasn't sure if she was allowed to use content past the page number the class had officially read to. In the end, she decided to go for it – she was still following the prompt exactly, so it would probably be alright.

After finishing her essay, Casey went downstairs for a glass of lemonade.

"Done _studying?_"Derek taunted.

"As a matter of fact I am," Casey said. "I bet you haven't even _started_ on that essay for English class."

"What makes you think I'm even going to write it?" Derek asked.

"Whatever," Casey said, closing the refrigerator door and walking over to the cabinet to get a glass.

"Don't break it, Klutzilla," Derek said, laughing.

Casey closed the cabinet door, ignoring Derek's snide comment. His hair was wild, and it looked darker than usual. He didn't even brush it! Man, was he a slob! A strangely attractive slob…

Wait, WHAT??? Derek Venturi, attractive? No way in hell. Hell would have to freeze over before she would be able to consider her step-brother even _mildly_ attractive. Casey quickly drank her lemonade and then rushed out of the kitchen. Taking a walk would probably distract her, so she did just that.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**Derek's POV, later, when he is hanging out with Sam **

"Dude, are you alright?" Sam asked. Derek usually was chipper, checking out all of the girls who passed him by, but right now Derek was down and, though most people wouldn't notice, Sam did.

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Derek asked.

"Nothing. You just seem a little down today, that's all," Sam said.

"Well, okay…I like someone who doesn't like me back," Derek said.

"Well, that's a first, DEREK, rejected?" Sam asked.

"I didn't even ask her, but I'm pretty sure she hates me," Derek said despondently.

"Just give her time," Sam said.

"That's it!" Derek said. "Does it really have to matter?"

"Just move on," Sam suggested.

But there was no way Derek was going to move on. He loved a challenge. One-sided love sure was hell, but what if he could find a way to change that? Derek hit his head on the wall. This was torture. What was he thinking? 'Temporary insanity,' Derek thought, secretly hoping temporary sanity wouldn't return to visit him at a later date, but, well….if it did, it did.

"Maybe you're right," Derek said. The two boys returned to blasting away at their video games. After all, boys will be boys, and boys will do what they do best. No matter who gets in the way. No matter what anyone says. A least that was the illusion. That was the mask Derek wore every day, and he was afraid to take it off. What if he became that very monster? What if he already was…?

**To be Continued…**


End file.
